How can I Improve?

[MedLyfe]

Hey everyone,

I'll be graduating at the end of this semester, in which I have a couple jobs lined up as a research assistant. I'm planning on taking a couple years off before applying to medical school and am hoping I can get some insight on what I can improve upon during this off period.

Current breakdown:
3.8 cGPA; 3.75 sGPA
Unique science major at an unknown private university

2 years total research experience at 3 top tier institutions
Tutor for biology and chemistry for 2 years
Peer mentor for 2 years
Worked as a student admissions rep for 3 years
Was a pharmacy technician for 1.5 years
Volunteered at 2 different hospitals over the course of 2.5 years

Besides getting some shadowing experience, are there any other suggestions that you may have? I'm mainly aiming for MD schools but am open to the idea of DO.

Thanks!

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[Doug Underhill]

Research experience isn't measured in "years". It's measured in terms of productivity. What did you accomplish during those years in terms of posters, presentations, and publications?

Otherwise, the MCAT should be priority #1

 

[Relax!]

Your GPA is good and your EC's are decent. As you mentioned, shadowing physicians in several specialties and primary care would be good. If you would like to expand your clinical exposre, you could also work as a scribe or EMT (after getting certified).
Also, do some nonclinical volunteering. It can be anything you like, such as Habitat for Humanity, working at a soup kitchen, helping out at shelters, free homework help/tutoring to kids in poor neighborhoods, etc.
Besides EC's, also think about other aspects of you application. Keep in touch with profs and premed committee (if you have one at your college) from whom you'll collect LOR's. Taking the MCAT while the sciences are still fresh in your mind is also not a bad idea, so look into that.

 

[MedLyfe]

Research experience isn't measured in "years". It's measured in terms of productivity. What did you accomplish during those years in terms of posters, presentations, and publications?

Otherwise, the MCAT should be priority #1

Agreed but I figured a timeline can provide people with a sense of what I have done at least. I have ended up with several posters and many presentations. No pubs. Hoping the latter can change with a job after graduation.

 

[MedLyfe]

Your GPA is good and your EC's are decent. As you mentioned, shadowing physicians in several specialties and primary care would be good. If you would like to expand your clinical exposre, you could also work as a scribe or EMT (after getting certified).
Also, do some nonclinical volunteering. It can be anything you like, such as Habitat for Humanity, working at a soup kitchen, helping out at shelters, free homework help/tutoring to kids in poor neighborhoods, etc.
Besides EC's, also think about other aspects of you application. Keep in touch with profs and premed committee (if you have one at your college) from whom you'll collect LOR's. Taking the MCAT while the sciences are still fresh in your mind is also not a bad idea, so look into that.

Thanks for the input! I totally spaced on the non-clinical volunteering side so that is a very helpful reminder. I'll definitely need to improve in that aspect. In regards to LORs, I am fortunate that I am very close with my professors so I shouldn't have too much of an issue when I need to ask for one. What's the general consensus on who to ask? I have about 4 science professors I could ask, as well as the director of my major. I also have about 3 work related LORs that I could also obtain. Just not sure if a non-science related LOR would be ideal as well. I do agree with taking the MCAT not too long after I graduate. I will probably take a few months off from studying to recuperate a bit at first though. I'm a bit burnt out and I want to go into taking the MCAT at 100%.

 

[Relax!]

What's the general consensus on who to ask? I have about 4 science professors I could ask, as well as the director of my major. I also have about 3 work related LORs that I could also obtain. Just not sure if a non-science related LOR would be ideal as well.

I believe you should be good to apply to most (if not all) MD schools if you obtain 2-3 science letters, and 1 non-science letter. It's unnecessary to ask the director of your major to write unless you worked for him or took a class which he taught. It would probably be more useful to have a letter from one of your research PI's.

 

[Insanity4]

I believe you should be good to apply to most (if not all) MD schools if you obtain 2-3 science letters, and 1 non-science letter. It's unnecessary to ask the director of your major to write unless you worked for him or took a class which he taught. It would probably be more useful to have a letter from one of your research PI's.